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Linda Lucas — shoes too big to fill?
Beloved dean retires after 25 years
By Donna McFadden
Dr. Lucas (center) with her long-time colleagues at the LPC library. L to R: Barbara Hardy, Aileen Furuyama, Linda Lucas, Peggy Carter, and Carol O'Donnel (retired).Next semester may bring a bit of confusion for LPC students and staff, alike.
As of August 31, Linda Lucas, who has been working at the college for 25 years, will be retiring from her job as dean of Division One—a huge responsibility. Without Lucas's intimate knowledge of the campus, there are bound to be gaffes next semester, according to at least one interviewed colleague. Lucas currently oversees the library and numerous programs, including foreign language, computing, the arts, photography, religious studies, interior design and mass communications. The smooth operation of these programs over the years has owed much to this candid, energetic woman, but Lucas says she has done all she can to ensure a smooth transition. "I want to be able to leave and feel comfortable about leaving and let people here feel comfortable about making whatever changes they want to make," she said. "I've always considered myself "dispensable", because you have to. You're not supposed to build an empire that nobody else can run."
Lucas says she has always planned to retire when she turned 60—a milestone she reached this past week. She doesn't foresee a life of leisure, however, saying staying busy will not be a problem.
"I don't think I'm going to have any trouble doing that," she said. "I just want to find out what life is like after retirement—to be charge of my life. I'm really looking forward to it." It's not a change without regret, however. Lucas says that she will miss the many familiar faces that have become a part of her daily life. "I've had the good fortune of working with people who are just delightful," Lucas said. "I have a wonderful staff, and, while I'd like to take credit for them, in actual fact, they're just wonderful people."
To get an idea of just how much Lucas' responsibilities have grown during the past 25 years, one only needs to know that it will take three people to replace her. There will be a new dean of division one, a new library coordinator and a new dean of technology. The new dean of technology will be a particularly important hire, and the college's board of trustees is working with an outside company to make that appointment. Ron Kong, board chancellor, said Lucas deserves credit for giving technology needs at LPC a high priority. "She's been the mainstay of the library and learning technology," said Kong. "Way before technology became "the thing"—she was on top of it. She's a great person."
Lucas began her career at LPC as a librarian. As the campus grew and added more staff, she became the administrator, first for library services, and then for technology. Three years ago, she became dean of Division One. "It's a challenge, but it's been a wonderful challenge," says Lucas. Lucas has a rich personal life. Her interests include travel, the performing arts, going to museums, reading, volunteer work, gardening and photography. But the LPC staff and students have served as a surrogate family; wearing so many hats has kept Lucas from pursuing one of her own. "I would never had had time," she said. I got my doctorate while I was here, and finished that in 1982, at the University of San Francisco."
When Lucas started at LPC in 1975 there were 600 students—now there are nearly 7000, a fact that calls for some reflection.
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